About this project

Bartendro - A Cocktail Dispensing Robot

$197,464

pledged of $135,000 goal

486

backers

Welcome to the future of cocktails!

What is it?

Bartendro is a precision cocktail dispensing robot! It makes tasty drinks quickly and repeatably without the mess. It's light and portable so that you can easily take it to events, conferences, weddings, parties, or wherever!

Bartendro 3, Bartendro 15 and Bartendro 7

It's easy for one bot to serve more than 200 drinks in an evening.

A tasty cocktail is less than 10 seconds away.

Bartendro 7 at ORDcamp

Check out the drink menu in advance on your smartphone.

Bartendro is easy to set up and cleans up in about 5 minutes. Liquids only pass through food-grade tubing, not moving parts! Fill up a pitcher with warm soapy water and turn on the cleaning cycle. Run another cycle with clean water and sanitizer and the bot is good as new.

The user interface is intuitive and can be customized for the different types of events you host.

One of the many screens of the user interface

Special admin screens let you manage dispensers, ingredients and drink recipes. This is where calibration, customization and cleaning take place.

You can also view reports of the drinks made and quantities of ingredients used.

Check out one of our latest blog posts to get an idea of Bartendro's drink making capabilities.

Why did we make it?

Have you ever made or had a cocktail that was really perfect but was elusive to recreate? Have you ever wanted to know more about cocktails without drinking a lot to acquire the knowledge? We did. We wanted a machine that could pour complex cocktails in any size, including small tasters, that are proportionally accurate.

We were also fed up with precision dispensing technology being prohibitively expensive and wanted a more affordable solution that we and others could start using to make fun and interesting things.

We wanted to build a community where users could create, rate and share new drinks from around the world.

How does it work?

We use peristaltic pumps which dispense a known volume with every revolution of the motor to precisely meter our drinks.

Each pump combined with our custom electronics is called a "dispenser." The dispenser boards use the same processor as an Arduino and connect through a RJ-45 connector to a "router board" which carries the Raspberry Pi (RPI) computer. Any normal networking cable will work, but we've custom made the cables that come with Bartendro to be just the right length.

Router boards can handle up to 15 dispensers, while miniRouter boards can handle up to 3 dispensers.

The RPI sets up a wireless access point and creates a WiFi network called Bartendro.

To get started, simply connect to this network from any device and go to a web browser. Regardless of the web address you type, you'll be directed to Bartendro's main drink menu screen.

What can you do with it?

Every time we set Bartendro up, we get a flurry of ideas suggested to us. Can it accept credit cards? Can you make it detect if someone is intoxicated? What about RFID or facial recognition. These are all possibilities we'd love to see implemented, but our resources are limited. That's why the software and the hardware are open source.

Add a Microsoft Kinect to the top of the bot, or a card reader for payment or age verification, a breathalyzer, social networking or drink suggestions. Integrate stirring/shaking, an ice dispenser or a conveyor belt to move several glasses through the bot. You can even put the whole thing on wheels and make it a mobile robot! The ideas are almost endless and this is a great platform to build on.

These pumps are not to be used for medical applications, but they're good for just about everything else. Different types of tubing must be used for heavier solvents, or bio-diesels. Send us a note if you want more info.

ShotBot comes with 1 dispenser, a miniRouter board, Raspberry Pi and USB WiFi dongle, power supply and frame. Some light assembly may be required.

Bartendro 3 Starter Kit (not pictured): comes with 3 dispensers, and one miniRouter board and a power supply. Supply your own Raspberry Pi and build your own frame. Warning: Does not come ready to use!

Bartendro 3 comes with 3 dispensers, a miniRouter board, Raspberry Pi with USB WiFi dongle, power supply, and frame. Some light assembly may be required.

Bartendro 7 comes with 7 dispensers, a router board, Raspberry Pi with USB WiFi dongle, power supply and frame. Tablet and mount not included. Some light assembly may be required.

Bartendro 15 comes with 15 dispensers, a router board, Raspberry Pi with USB WiFi dongle, power supply and frame. Tablet and mount not included. Some light assembly may be required.

Disclaimers:

The current design doesn't handle carbonated liquids well, but we see this as a solvable problem that we'll tackle in the near future.

The quality of drinks depends on what you put in the bot. Garbage in equals garbage out. We like quality drinks, so we make simple syrup and squeeze fresh limes and lemons for every event. We think it's totally worth it.

What you see in the pictures may be slightly different than what you get. We may have to make optimizations to build much larger quantities. The final colors of the enclosure are not finalized. The black frame will remain black, but the sheet metal parts will likely be a light metallic silver.

Bartendro is not fully sealed; the electronics are intentionally visible because we think they're cool to look at. The drink-pouring action doesn't happen near the electronics, but you will still need to be careful to not get liquids on them!

We know first hand how easy it is to get carried away when a drink can be made at the press of a button. Please drink responsibly and always have a designated driver.

Please Support Us!

We've worked very hard to get the cost as low as possible without sacrificing quality and commercial level functionality. We've also sacrificed our livers to make sure the quality of drinks in our database is excellent.

We need to place several large minimum-quantity orders and purchase expensive pieces of tooling to keep this project going. Please back us today and help us get there!

Risks and challenges

We have our suppliers and vendors lined up, but we've never produced large quantities yet, so quality in volume has yet to be seen.

We need to ship bots and have them show up safely at your door, but the proper protection and packaging has not been figured out yet.

Not really. The miniRouter is designed to plug into the Raspberry Pi's header, there isn't an easy way to add more pumps unless you get a full router board, which can handle 15 pumps. We'll make these available if our Kickstarter funds.

In theory. The hardware is not limited to prevent this, but there is no software written to make this happen. We can't guarantee that this will be something we address immediately, but maybe third-party developers can help us make it available sooner.

No. This is part of what our tooling funds go towards, and will be included in the built Bartendro 7 and 15. We want to make plastic/rubber caps that allow tubing to slip through, while covering the bottle openings. The tops cannot seal the bottles however, there will need to be a small vent hole so that when the pump begins pumping, we don't create negative pressure in the bottle.

The router and miniRouter boards will be made available individually when we get funded. They will likely be bundled with the high power 24V power supplies that are needed to drive the pumps. Dispensers (pumps + electronics) will also be available. We will do our best to offer these to you at the lowest prices possible.

Support this project

Select this reward

Pledge $5 or more
About $5

THANKS: A huge thank you and the knowledge that your helping make our project a reality. A shout out on Twitter, and a sweet die-cut sticker of our logo to remember us with, and your name will be listed on our website as an original contributor.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $30 or more
About $30

T-SHIRT: A Party Robotics T-shirt in your size and everything from the $5 reward level! Want the shirts to say something interesting or funny? How about "I can't wait for our cocktail robot overlords!" Vote in the the comments on what the t-shirts should say!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $99 or more
About $99

DISPENSER: For EARLY BACKERS! An open-source dispenser for the tinkerers! Save $30 by being one of the first to back at this level. The dispenser is a peristaltic pump with encoder machined to accept our open source electronics. Comes with 5 feet of beverage tubing. You'll have to provide your own power supply, serial communication device, and a way to mount the pump.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $129 or more
About $129

DISPENSER: An open-source dispenser for the tinkerers! The dispenser is a peristaltic pump with encoder machined to accept our open source electronics. Comes with 5 feet of beverage tubing. You'll have to provide your own power supply, serial communication device, and a way to mount the pump.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $249 or more
About $249

SHOTBOT: For EARLY BACKERS! Get one of the first ShotBots with a two digit serial number! The easiest way to serve a shot with your smartphone. Fill it with liquor, wheat-grass or whatever your heart desires. Comes with one dispenser, a frame, power supply and Raspberry Pi! Some light assembly may be required.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $299 or more
About $299

SHOTBOT: The easiest way to serve a shot with your smartphone. Fill it with liquor, wheat-grass or whatever your heart desires. Comes with one dispenser, a frame, power supply and Raspberry Pi! Some light assembly may be required.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $499 or more
About $499

BARTENDRO 3: For EARLY BACKERS! First 50 only! You'd be surprised how many drinks 3 ingredients can make. This is a full bot, just provide your own tablet or smartphone. Comes with 3 Dispensers, tubing, miniRouter board & Raspberry Pi, USB WiFi, power supply and frame.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $599 or more
About $599

BARTENDRO 3: Second batch of 50! You'd be surprised how many drinks 3 ingredients can make. This is a full bot, just provide your own tablet or smartphone. Comes with 3 Dispensers, tubing, miniRouter board & Raspberry Pi, USB WiFi, power supply and frame.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $699 or more
About $699

BARTENDRO 3: You'd be surprised how many drinks 3 ingredients can make. This is a full bot, just provide your own tablet or smartphone. Comes with 3 Dispensers, tubing, miniRouter board & Raspberry Pi, USB WiFi, power supply and frame.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $999 or more
About $999

BARTENDRO 7 STARTER KIT: This reward is here by popular demand. Build your own bot with 7 dispensers, 1 full size router board, a power supply, a Raspberry Pi with SD card and WiFi dongle and tubing. All the guts of the bot minus the enclosure and frame. Please send us pics of your creations!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,199 or more
About $1,199

BARTENDRO 7: For EARLY BACKERS! First 25 only! A really nice size to have. This is a full bot, just provide your own tablet or smartphone. Comes with 7 Dispensers with liquid level sensing, tubing, a router board, Raspberry Pi, USB WiFi, power supply, enclosure and frame. Some light assembly may be required.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,299 or more
About $1,299

BARTENDRO 7: A really nice size to have. This is a full bot, just provide your own tablet or smartphone. Comes with 7 Dispensers with liquid level sensing, tubing, a router board, Raspberry Pi, USB WiFi, power supply, enclosure and frame. Some light assembly may be required.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,399 or more
About $1,399

BARTENDRO 7: A really nice size to have. This is a full bot, just provide your own tablet or smartphone. Comes with 7 Dispensers with liquid level sensing, tubing, a router board, Raspberry Pi, USB WiFi, power supply, enclosure and frame. Some light assembly may be required.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,999 or more
About $1,999

BARTENDRO 15 STARTER KIT: This reward is here by popular demand. Build your own bot with 15 dispensers, 1 full size router board, a power supply, a Raspberry Pi with SD card and WiFi dongle and tubing. All the guts of the bot minus the enclosure and frame. Please send us pics of your creations!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,299 or more
About $2,299

BARTENDRO 15: For EARLY BACKERS! First 10 only at this level! This bot can make by far the most number of drinks. This is a full bot, just provide your own tablet or smartphone. Comes with 15 Dispensers with liquid level sensing, tubing, a router board, Raspberry Pi, USB WiFi, power supply, enclosure and frame. Comes mostly assembled. Some light assembly may be required.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,399 or more
About $2,399

BARTENDRO 15: For not as Early Backers! Second 10 only at this level! This bot can make by far the most number of drinks. This is a full bot, just provide your own tablet or smartphone. Comes with 15 Dispensers with liquid level sensing, tubing, a router board, Raspberry Pi, USB WiFi, power supply, enclosure and frame. Comes mostly assembled. Some light assembly may be required.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,499 or more
About $2,499

BARTENDRO 15: This bot can make by far the most number of drinks. This is a full bot, just provide your own tablet or smartphone. Comes with 15 Dispensers with liquid level sensing, tubing, a router board, Raspberry Pi, USB WiFi, power supply, enclosure and frame. Some light assembly may be required.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10,000
About $10,000

CUSTOM BRANDED BARTENDRO 15: Same as above, with your choice of colors for the enclosure and internal cabling. Add panels to the outer faces of the bot with a cutout or silkscreen of your brand or logo. Plus up to 10 hours of personalized Skype support.